Hey! So I've decided to try and update this story every Friday (seeing as it's called Friday Night Dinner) I hope that's convenient for everyone... anyways, here's chapter three:)
I wake up suddenly, like a jolt of electricity is coursing through my veins. I'm in bed. How the fuck did that happen? And how did I get into my pyjamas? All I can remember from last night is sitting outside the window for hours staring at the stars. Or at least, that's all I'm choosing to remember. I roll out of bed, throwing the cover haphazardly on the floor.
I check my calendar. There's a big red circle around today's date. 1st of September. Today is the first day back at school. With a groan and drag my feet across the floor on my way to the bathroom. I try not to think of the torturous teachers I will have to endure this year as I strip of my night clothes.
After a quick shower, I throw on my favourite pair of pale blue jeans, a white camisole and black and white plaid shirt. After drying my hair, I braid it and then put on a black beanie. I check myself in the mirror. I feel more comfortable in my own skin; more so than last night, without a doubt. Dresses and tight tops aren't my thing. My thing is jeans, a baggy shirt and my board. That's the way I like it. I grab my backpack, that I've had for weeks and exit my bedroom.
I skip downstairs and walk into the kitchen. Dad is sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. He smiles when he sees me and asks, "What are you doing up so early?"
I glance at the clock. 6:40AM. I laugh a little. "Must be the baker blood." He laughs too. "Shouldn't you be at the Bakery?" I ask, curious. Dad's never been one for a lie in, always up early to put fresh dough in the oven.
"Leo has it covered, said I should take the morning off," he says, as if the words are foreign on his tongue. "Remind me to never take advice from Leo again; I've been bored out of my mind since 5:00AM." Leo has been working in the Bakery since he was 15 and is like another brother to me. Sure when I was younger, I had a major crush on him. Gorgeous green eyes and jet black hair. But now our love is and always will be platonic. I laugh and pour myself a bowl of cereal, sitting next to him. "Are you going to tell me what happened last night?" Dad asks suddenly.
I raise my eyes to look at him. His baby blues are filled with concern. I sigh, thinking about the look on Finn's face as I told him I envied him. The unrecognisable look in his eyes when he left me alone. I can't look at Dad anymore and stare down at the cornflakes floating in my milk. I open my mouth to talk but no words come out, so I shut it and shake my head.
"I don't know what was said on the roof but Finn hardly touched his desert." His words of consolation do nothing but make my chest hurt. "You'll grow back together, you'll see. I told you when you were young that things will only get better if you help it happen and I meant it."
"But what if they don't, Dad? What then? What if I just mess things up even more than I already have?" I argue.
"Rye," Dad says softly. "Everything will be okay, I promise."
I don't trust myself to speak so I just nod. He stands and pulls me from my chair, gathering me into a hug. Dad's hugs are always warm and reassuring. Whenever I feel alone, I just need one of Dad's hugs to feel safe and loved again.
He releases me and we sit back down. I clear my throat. "So where are the Odair's living?"
"They moved in next door." I almost drop my spoon and spill a little milk on the table.
"Oh… that's nice," I cover, quickly grabbing a kitchen towel and mopping it up.
We eat the rest of our breakfast in a comfortable silence. At 7:30, Mum comes in from her morning hunt, hauling a bag of game larger than we've seen in months. She dumps it on the table and smiles proudly.
"Impressive," I say, peeking the bag. "How much of it is ours?"
"I'm going to trade it all down at the Hob but the deer on the back porch is all ours," she says with a smirk. I choke on my cup of tea.
"Deer?!" She nods and I rush outside. Like she said, a large deer lies on the porch, with only blood around its head. "Such a clean kill, too. I wish I was there," I grumble as I walk into the kitchen.
"Maybe next time, Rye. But right now, you've got to get to school," Mum says, planting a kiss on the top of my head. I glance up at the clock and curse under my breath. Dad shoots me a warning look and I smile guiltily. I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk to the broom cupboard. I open the door and smile at the sight of my board. My baby. It took me two years to save up for this board. I had the underside of the deck personalised with my name shaped in red flames, standing out from the black of the rest of the board.
"Rye!" Mum shouts. I just picked up my board when she shouts. I look up and raise my eyebrows in question. "I promised Finnick and Annie that you'd walk with Finn to school today." The smile that I had on my face from seeing my board disappears immediately. "Do me this one favour and I won't make you do your laundry for a month," she adds with a pleading tone. I groan and roll my eyes. "Thank you!" she calls and I shut the front door.
I roll down the drive way and turn to go down the street but put down my foot as soon as I am in front of next door. Finn sits on the steps, his school bag beside him. His head snaps up and the sound of me kicking up my skateboard. We stay like that for a while, just staring at each other, both of us afraid to say something. Eventually I break the silence. "Are you just going to sit there and make me late for school or get up off your ass?"
A smile ghosts his face, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into a relieved smile. He jumps up, swings his bag onto his shoulder and jogs downs the steps. I drop my board back down and push off with one foot, slowly skating alongside Finn as he walks. He keeps glancing over at me and opening his mouth but he seems to be having an internal conflict with himself. At the seventh time I snap.
"Just spit it out."
"I'm sorry," he says quickly. "Okay? I'm sorry for being a dick about everything." I don't say anything for a while. Suddenly, at the same time we both turn to each other and say, "Can we just be friends?" Small smiles break out on our faces and he laughs lightly.
"I'd like that very much," Finn says.
"Me too."
We turn the corner and the school comes into sight. My heart sinks as I think of the day ahead. I kick up my board again and we walk up the steps. I push through the crowds to the office, Finn following closely. I ask for both our schedules and locker numbers.
"Sure thing. Hey, are you new here?" she asks me. I sigh and rub my forehead.
"No, but he is," I say, nodding towards Finn behind me. He gives the receptionist a small wave and she flushes red. I snort and grab Finn's hand, dragging him away from the 20 something woman behind the desk with the obvious crush. Our lockers are right beside each other's which is good enough for me.
"Can I see your schedule?" he asks. I hand it over and he scans it, and then frowns. "I don't have any periods with you today." I take my schedule back and shrug.
"I guess I'll see you later then?" he asks as the bell rings. I nod and he gives me a small smile before wandering off down the hall. I sigh and put my board into my locker. I'm thankful that I've got one of the larger lockers now and I slam it shut with my skateboard safely inside.
I walk into my first lesson of the day, English, and sit at the desk near the back. I slump down in the chair and put my head in my folded arms on the desk, trying to catch a few more minutes of treasured time alone.
"Good morning!"
I jump and snap my head to the space next to me, which is now occupied by Maddie.
"Jesus shit, Mad. I think I just had a heart attack! How are you so quiet?"
"You forget that you're not the only one with a hunter for a parent," she says with a wink. My mother and her father were hunting partners as teenagers. "So how'd it go last night?" I drop my head back down and groan in response. "That bad, huh? It'll be fine, don't worry. I still stand by my word that you guys'll get together."
I turn my head and look at her, her face plastered with a cheesy smile. "Mad, he didn't remember." Her smile falters and she looks at me seriously.
"What do you mean?"
"He didn't remember who I was." I launch into the story of what happened, making sure I told her of the look on his face as he left me on the roof.
"At least you've started again. Now he can get to know you as the person you are now and not the kid you were then," she offers. I shrug at her words, "I guess so."
"Don't burn the bridge down yet, Rye. Give it time," she says with a smile as the teacher walks into the room.
It's going to be a long day.